People always feel the need to point out just how rare it is to see female stand up comedians. In a sense, they’re entitled to believe so. It may not look like it, but it’s an industry as male dominated as constructions, plumbing, or any much more traditionally men-associated forms of labor. Could it be because it’s stereotypically believed that women aren’t capable of being funny? It might sound extreme, but it really wouldn’t take much digging to discover that this is a belief some hold firmly on to.

Whatever the truth may be, there’s no denying that the male to female ratio among comedians leans favorably in the direction of the men, but those ladies that manage to break through are absolutely astounding. So, if you’re looking for a gathering of charming, witty, and funny female stand up comedians, look no further than the list below.

#1 Sarah Silverman

Anyone who has some sort of history with SNL must have some form of humor in their blood. The really ironic thing here is how Silverman’s own life seems to have taken a turn and transformed into a sitcom after she was fired from SNL via a fax notice. Since then, her career has been flourishing. Not only is her development as a comedian great, but she also has her name annexed to various film productions and her very own TV show.

#2 Amy Schumer

Inside Amy Schumer might be the first thing that comes to your head, which is definitely a good thing. After all, Comedy Central has been running quite low on content able to draw in viewers. Curtsy of Schumer’s sketch-based humorous program, the channel has been on an ascending curve. Aside from starring in a TV show, she also does greatly on her own when simply prompted with a microphone to perform for a room full of people.

#3 Tig Notaro

It would’ve been impossible for us to not include one of the biggest veterans of all female stand up comedians. You know someone can make absolutely anything funny when one of said topics is something as ruthless and controversial as cancer. Or, on the other extreme, when one of said topics is something as dull and morose as a simple stool.

#4 Ellen Degeneres

Before managing the accomplishment of making daytime talk shows funny, Ellen was actually doing good ole stand up comedy numbers. Needless to say, she was a blast. When you really think about it, all she did was pack all of her natural talent and carry it over to a production studio. No matter the circumstances, there’s no denying that Ellen is one of the best female stand up comedians of all time.

#5 Chelsea Handler

You know that kind of humor that involves poking fun at one night stands, binge drinking, and crying out your sorrows in an ice-cream box on the bathroom floor? It was pretty much created by Chelsea Handler and, eventually, it was rewarded with success. She became a bestselling author, the subject of her own show, and a name to add to the fall of fame.

#6 Shelby Fero

Yes, she doesn’t have her own TV show, but she does have a spectacular social media presence. Aged only 20, Fero has been in the spotlight of an audience ever since the frail age of 18. Thanks to her online growth, she was able to make a swift transition into the real world, which she enthralled with her wits and sense of humor. Given the fact that she’s already written for several TV productions, it’s safe to say that there’s a huge pot of gold waiting for her at the end of the rainbow as far as career prospects go.

Share this:

A successful comedian is expected to sometimes push the limit and sometimes go beyond what is socially acceptable, because a function of a good stand-up comedian, apart from making people laugh, obviously, is to make them think about the subjects that he is presenting.

Regardless of the style that a particular comedian uses be it light-hearted, based on anecdotes, deadpan one-liners etc., he or she is also making a social commentary on a given topic, depending on the sketch.

And there are instances when either the public overreacts to a comedian’s provocative lines or a comedian goes to far and offends the public’s sensibilities and core beliefs.

Of these instances, there are even rarer ones when the public’s reaction is not just the usual outcry and leave response. Take a look at 6 comedian aimed death threats.

1. Hannibal Buress

He received a death threat for being one of the first to call out Bill Cosby as a rapist, before several women actually came out to sue him and apparently confirm what Buress had been pointing the finger at quite repeatedly in his sketches.

The death threat came, of all places, on Facebook, from a man who is both a body builder, a supporter of Bill Cosby and a stripper at the same time.

2. Anthony Jeselnik

His parents phone number and address got posted online at a time when he was receiving death threats himself. A pretty scary development.

All the ruckus was about him making a sketch in one of his episodes a focused barrage of fun-making on the expense of a man who had recently died eaten by a shark in New Zealand.

Though he is usually controversial in his topics and overall style, he apparently went too far with this one.

3. Kevin Nealon

Here’s an example that is just plain mind-boggling. So you watch a comedy show, right? Because you want to enjoy yourself and feel good.

And the show features a diverse cast. One of the cast isn’t particularly funny in your view. So you… issue a death threat against him?!

Well, that’s exactly what happened to Kevin Nealon during his time as an anchor for the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live.

Apparently some people take their comedy… seriously?

4. Amy Schumer

I know. This one comes as a surprise, since Amy Schumer, though controversial at times, is not exactly what you would consider worthy of your incandescent hate.

But she received numerous death threats after making a joke about Steve-O of “Jackass” fame when she suggested that perhaps many people would have felt it would have been less of a loss if he had died instead of his colleague and friend Ryan Dunn, at the time recently deceased in a car accident.

“Jackass” fans all over went nuts making it unsafe for Schumer in a lot of venues in USA. She herself declared she was genuinely concerned for her life.

5. Kevin Smith

Perhaps you were under the impression that the modern age of civilization and reason is in gathering speed to launch us into an era of understanding, tolerance and other such lofty ideals and that the words Christian fanatics are obsolete.

Well, think again when you consider the case of Kevin Smith, the man behind the hit comedy movie “Dogma” starring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Selma Hayek, Chris Rock and a host of others.

Because after the movie launched, his irreverent portrayal of some Christian concepts earned him plenty of death threats from none other than good Christians. That’s right, turn the other cheek so you can’t see us coming from the side to stab you.

6. Russell Brand

He’s received many death threats during his career as a comedian, but probably the most at once after he hosted MTV and made comments about several celebrities including the Jonas Brothers.

Then there’s the death threats he received for commenting against Israeli companies supported by British investments, as he claims this indirectly funds the conflict in Gaza.